Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the perfect pickup for the Middle East is here - meet the Ford Ranger Wildtrak. Ford “collaborated with customers around the globe” and put all its experience into building the Ranger Wildtrak.
First things first, let’s talk about how it looks to take over the Middle East market. The Blue Oval included the summer cycle (May to August) in its testing of the pickup. This means that the vehicle was tested between peak daily temperatures between 43°C and 49°C and severe sun loads for extended periods of time.
What’s more, to customize the Ranger Wildtrak for the Middle East, Ford optimized the powertrain to sustain maximum speed for extended distances, tinkered with the climate performance system to rapidly and pleasantly cool the cabin throughout the region's scorching summers and performed suspension evaluation which included testing the pickup's struts and shock absorbers to their limits by driving it off-road at high speeds and engine loads for a few thousand kilometers.
Under the hood lies Ford’s trusted 2.3L EcoBoost mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Four driving modes are on offer: Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery for on-road, and Mud/Ruts and Sand for use off-road. Switching between these modes will change everything in the pickup right from the gearshift to throttle response to ABS.
For better ride quality, the front wheels have been shifted forward 50mm for a better approach angle and the rear suspension dampers have been shifted outboard of the frame rails to give drivers and passengers a better ride on- and off-road irrespective of the cargo or number of passengers on board.
Step inside and you will find a 12-inch touchscreen in the center stack and a digital instrument panel packing Ford’s latest SYNC4® system and voice-activated communications and entertainment features.
Talking about the cargo, Ford says that it widened the truck by 50mm to increase its loading capacity. A new, tough plastic-molded bed liner has been added to the truck bed and a new cargo management system has been installed to accommodate various-sized products and to store objects that would otherwise have to be stored in the cab. Last but not the least, the tailboardgate can be converted into a mobile workstation, complete with an integrated ruler and clamp pockets.. Now that is quite special.
